Poroelastic behaviors of the osteon: A comparison of two theoretical osteon models

Abstract

In the paper, two theoretical poroelastic osteon models are presented to compare their poroelastic behaviors, one is the hollow osteon model (Haversian fluid is neglected) and the other is the osteon model with Haversian fluid considered. They both have the same two types of impermeable exterior boundary conditions, one is elastic restraint and the other is displacement constrained, which can be used for analyzing other experiments performed on similarly shaped poroelastic specimens. The obtained analytical pressure and velocity solutions demonstrate the effects of the loading factors and the material parameters, which may have a significant stimulus to the mechanotransduction of bone remodeling signals. Model comparisons indicate: (1) The Haversian fluid can enhance the whole osteonal fluid pressure and velocity fields. (2) In the hollow model, the key loading factor governing the poroelastic behavior of the osteon is strain rate, while in the model with Haversian fluid considered, the strain rate governs only the velocity. (3) The pressure amplitude is proportional to the loading frequency in the hollow model, while in the model with Haversian fluid considered, the loading frequency has little effect on the pressure amplitude.